The Scarlet Situation {a #poem}
How many words are there for 'red'?
The Scarlet Situation Â
                        --inspired by Savannah Locke1
Come, family, let us reason together.
When troubles come, and they will,
I’ve been promised a place to hide,
Salvation purchased with my pledge
Now honored in return. We’ll be
Safe from harm here in broad daylight
Because of this thread—woven
Vermillion skeins taut with promise,
A crimson sign to our enemies to
Leave us be in peace, in place.
Their oath that salvation would rest
On red draping our window, preserving
A seed inside for generations who’llÂ
Come to be sheltered again in red.
******
from my new book Mining the Bright Birds: Poems of Longing for Home
From this conversation on the Faithful Project podcast with Joy Prouty, Savannah & Tamar Chipp